What’s on your Bucket List—you know, that list of all the interesting things you would love to do someday before you “kick the bucket?” I had the privilege of crossing off one of my bucket list items several years ago when I worked on an archaeological dig in Israel for a month. Our team excavated the ancient city of Timnah, which is mentioned in the Bible as the town where Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman (see Judges 14). Things ended badly for Samson when she gave away his riddle and he called off the wedding. I worked in the area of the main city gate, and we uncovered the cobblestone street from Samson’s time. What a thrill to think that his feet once walked on those very stones!
My oldest son Joshua, who was 14 at the time, went on the dig with me. His wish was to find a skull (of course!) He was excavating a different section of the city and his group ended up finding a complete skeleton! He could happily cross that off his bucket list.
We started work before dawn to avoid the summer heat and finished by noon. We were on level ground when we began digging, and by the last day, we were standing in a pit that was several feet above our heads. We moved a lot of dirt! But what fun to discover buried treasures. The experience was everything I’d hoped for, and I would definitely go on a dig again if I had the chance.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to cross off another item on my list. Ken and I toured Europe by bicycle with a group of friends from our church. We flew to Zurich, Switzerland to begin our bike journey around Lake Constance. We cycled 25-35 miles a day on this ten-day trip, and traveled through parts of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which all border the lake.
Along the way, we visited Medieval cities, saw a zeppelin museum, and toured the oldest castle in Germany. We stayed in lovely hotels at night and sampled fine cuisine, and slept like the dead! I kept a journal and will post some of my story and pictures on a future blog.
We’ve been preparing for this trip since January when we logged 120 miles while vacationing in Florida. The weather in Michigan this spring has been so cold and rainy (and snowy!) that we’ve only been able to log 115 miles in preparation.
But I love to bike! I feel so alive and happy as I pedal away, absorbing all the sights and sounds and smells. Riding my bike was one of my happiest pastimes as a child, which is why I feel like a kid again whenever I ride (aside from the aches and pains that now come with age). I have a feeling that I’ll be planning our next bike trip as soon as I return from this one.
So, what things have you checked off your bucket list? What’s on your list to do next?
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By the time I was 25, I’d seen just about half of our 50 states on family vacations during summers growing up. On that “quarter-of -a-century” birthday, I decided I wanted to visit all 50 before I turned 50 — and I did it! Three years ahead of schedule — a good portion of them on research trips for my novels. 🙂
That sounds like fun, Elizabeth!
What awesome adventures!! Thanks for sharing with us!
One bucket list item I’ve been in the process of checking off these last months is creating a full-length stage performance based on the story of Moses and the Exodus for the youth ballet I co-direct. It’s been a dream of mine in different forms since I was around 6, and God just brought it about this year. It’s been a surreal experience for sure!
Can’t wait to see it on the stage this November!
I hope you get to do it, Bree. It sounds wonderful!
The show is cast and written, and we’re working on the choreography now! It’ll be performed this November. Pretty amazing to see it coming together!
Travel, both in the US and abroad, is definitely on my bucket list. Last month, my husband and I crossed a few more countries off when we took high school students to Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. We were in Lucerne, not too far from Zurich. Isn’t the country breathtaking? We need to travel the northeastern US and Alaska. I also want to visit Madrid and return to Scotland. Another item on my list is to ride a horse in the ocean. Thanks for sharing your travels. The dig sounds so interesting and unique.
Yes, pictures can’t convey how magnificent the scenery is! I hope you get to ride the horse one of these days. Maybe the ocean is on the horse’s bucket list, too!
Your biking trip in Europe sounds amazing! What a fun way to travel overseas.
It was unique! And we still could bike home to modern hotels at night.
Lynn, What a wonderful trip you had! You must have very strong legs because I doubt you traveled many flat roads. On my bucket list is a trip to the UK, Italy, and a river cruise on the Rhine to see castles. I might like to ride bikes in part of the area, like in the countryside of Ireland, but I don’t have the stamina to ride a bike through mountains like you did!
It was strenuous at times! I hope you can do all the great things on your bucket list.